


What's Best

by PaintedVanilla



Series: days on end [15]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Best Friends, Drunkenness, F/M, Gen, Minor Violence, Post-Break Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-24 14:12:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12014439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaintedVanilla/pseuds/PaintedVanilla
Summary: “I’m looking for Dolley.” John says, “have you seen her?”





	What's Best

Thomas gets a call from his fiancée, who he knows is out with Dolley, very late at night. He’s been waiting up for her, just to make sure she gets home safe, especially since it’s already late. She’s calling him though, which either means she’s drunk or in trouble, and he’s really hoping it’s not the latter.

He answers the phone on the second ring, “Hello?”

“Thomas,” Martha says, her voice slightly slurred, and Thomas stands up to find his keys, “Okay so - you’re never gonna believe this - ” she breaks off laughing, and he can hear Dolley laughing in the background. 

“I’m sure I will,” Thomas says, “where are you?”

“We’re at Lazy Point,” Martha tells him, and then Dolley chimes in, “We’re drunk.” and Martha shushes her. 

“Do you need me to come get you?” Thomas says, already knowing the answer as he’s found his keys and is headed for the door.

“Could you please?” Martha says sweetly, and Thomas rolls his eyes. Martha hadn’t mentioned they were planning on getting drunk; she probably hadn’t even been planning on it, because she drove instead of taking the subway. He doesn’t know  _ why  _ they’re drunk, but he’s hoping they have a good reason considering how much work it’s gonna be to drag Martha back into town tomorrow morning to go get her car with the hangover she’s gonna have.

“I’m on my way,” Thomas says, “Don’t leave the bar. And don’t do anything stupid.”

“I would never!” Martha says, then hangs up the phone.

…

Once Thomas finds Martha and Dolley and gets them into the back of the car, he sits in the front and asks, “So why are we drunk?”

“Are you drunk, too?” Dolley asks, and Martha laughs.

_ “I’m _ not drunk,” Thomas corrects himself, “Why are  _ you _ drunk?”

“I broke up with John,” Dolley says, at the same time Martha says, “Dolley broke up with John.”

Thomas hums, putting the car in gear and pulling away from the curb, “I’m sorry to hear that.” he says, even tho he’s  _ not  _ because John is a cheating  _ asshole,  _ “Are you drinking your troubles away, Dolley? That doesn’t sound like you.”

“We’re celebrating!” Martha says suddenly, very loudly, “John was - John was cheating on her!” Martha leans over and cups Dolley’s face, “he was cheating on this beautiful perfect human being so she broke up with him.”

“I caught him cheating.” Dolley says through Martha squishing her cheeks together, which makes it extra hard to understand what she’s saying.

“I see.” Thomas says, accepting knowledge he was already aware of, “So am I taking you home, Dolley?”

“Yes please.” she says, and Martha lets go of her face and sinks back into the seat.

“I’m gonna kick John’s ass.” she says drowsily, and Dolley laughs.

The girls, having mostly worn themselves out, are relatively quiet for the rest of the car ride to Dolley’s house. Thomas stops in front of Dolley’s apartment complex, but before he lets Dolley out he sees someone sitting outside her apartment door. Thomas reaches back and says, “Hang on,” to Dolley, who was in the process of unbuckling her seat belt. She blinks at him, but doesn’t argue.

Thomas stares at the person a little longer; Dolley doesn’t follow his gaze, “What’s wrong?”

Thomas hesitates, then says, “I’ll be right back.” he unbuckles his own seatbelt and takes the keys out of the ignition, “Stay here.” he tells them, climbing out of the car and shutting the door.

Thomas makes his way up the stairs to Dolley’s apartment, and stops when he reaches the top. John, who’s sitting on her doorstep, stands up to meet him. Thomas frowns at him, “What do you want?”

“I’m looking for Dolley.” John says, “have you seen her?”

“She doesn’t wanna see you.” Thomas tells him.

“I just wanna talk to her.” John says, “Look, I don’t know what you know, but she’s just overreacting to some stuff right now and - ”

“Overreacting?” Thomas asks, “breaking up with you after you’ve been cheating on her for at least two years is overreacting?”

John looks taken aback, “I haven’t been - ”

“Dolley says you’ve been, and I trust her.” Thomas snaps, “nevertheless, one time is enough. She caught you, and she broke up with you. I would leave it at that.”

“She didn’t  _ break up with me,”  _ John says, “she just left my apartment.”

“Because you were cheating on her.” 

“Look, she didn’t  _ say _ she was breaking up with me.”

“Then what did she say?”

“She said - uh…” John has to think about it, “well I don’t remember, but she didn’t break up with me. We didn’t break up.”

“Really? Because when I talked to her, it really sounded like you were broken up.” Thomas says.

“Do you know where she is?” John asks, “I just wanna talk to her.”

“She doesn’t wanna talk to you.” Thomas tells him, “So I suggest you get the fuck away from her apartment and leave her alone.”

John looks shocked by that, “Thomas,” he says, “you know I care about Dolley!”

“If you cared about her, you wouldn’t have been cheating on her.” Thomas insists.

“Thomas,” John says knowingly, “look, I know you know how it is. Sometimes you just - you know, you see a girl, and you’re like, well I really love my girl, but I’d just like to love  _ that  _ girl for a little while.”

Thomas scowls at him, “I’ll have you know, fuckass, that I love Martha very much and that I have never once, in my  _ life,  _ felt compelled to cheat on  _ any  _ of my partners. That’s  _ shitty,  _ John, and  _ you’re _ shitty. And Dolley is going to wonder for the rest of her life why she wasn’t good enough for you, even though she’s wonderful and you just don’t know how to treat a woman.” he takes a breath, “I’m gonna tell you one more time, get the  _ fuck  _ away from Dolley’s apartment, because she doesn’t wanna talk to you.”

John frowns at him, “I’m going to talk to Dolley, asshole. This is just a big misunderstanding, okay? You don’t know what’s best for her,  _ I  _ do.”

Thomas steps forward, grabs John by the collar of his shirt and pins him to the door of Dolley’s apartment, “I’ll say this once,” he snaps, his voice low,  _ “I _ don’t know what’s best for Dolley,  _ you  _ don’t know what’s best for Dolley,  _ Dolley  _ knows what’s best for Dolley, and Dolley doesn’t wanna be with you anymore because you’re a cheater and a shitty boyfriend. And if she tells me you so much as come  _ close  _ to her again, I’ll beat your ass. Understood?”

John, who’s a few inches shorter than Thomas and clearly very scared, nods quickly.

“Say it.” Thomas snaps.

“I understand.” John says meekly.

“Understand what?”

“I won’t go near Dolley!” John says, “I - I won’t touch her! I won’t talk to her! I swear!”

“Good boy.” Thomas says; he drops his collar and John wheezes, leaning against the door, “I hope you keep your word, John. Martha is dying to kick your ass, and I can’t say I feel much different.” he turns away and starts making his way back downstairs, “have a goodnight, shitdick.”

When Thomas gets back to the car, the girls are still slumped over in the back the way he left them. He opens the door and gets back into the driver's seat, “Doll,” he says, and she sits up suddenly, “I’m thinking maybe you sleep at our place.”

“Oh…” Dolley says, weary, “but I don’t have my toothbrush.”

“We can get you a toothbrush.” Thomas says, “sound okay? There’s a rat on your porch and I don’t want you to have to deal with it.”

Dolley makes a grossed out noise and leans back into the seat, “Your couch is comfy anyways.”

“Great.” he says, starting the car, “sleepover.”

“Sleepover!” the girls both cheer, albeit not very enthusiastically. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> always remember to respect women kids


End file.
